governess
Americannoun
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a woman who is employed to take charge of a child's upbringing, education, etc.
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Archaic. a woman who is a ruler or governor.
noun
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
- governessy adjective
- subgoverness noun
- undergoverness noun
Etymology
Origin of governess
1400–50; late Middle English governeress < Old French gouverneresse, feminine of gouverneur governor; -ess
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Marion Crawford, known as Crawfie, had been governess to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
The new TV series, based on the novel of the same name by Janice Hadlow, centres on the Bennet family's middle sister, Mary, as she becomes a governess to the Gardiner family.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025
Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House as a governess with a secret, which would be enough for many a novel set in Victorian England.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025
She worked as a governess in Paris and later converted to Catholicism and was baptized at the age of 26.
From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023
After checking to make sure the conductor was nowhere near, and seeing their governess deeply engaged in her work, all three Incorrigibles quietly took out their books to read.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
